REPORT 


OF  THE 

Little  Rock  la 

VICE 

COMMISSION 

May  20,  1913 


And  the  Order  of  Mayor  Chas.  E.  Taylor 

to  Close  All  Resorts  in  Little 

> 

Rock  by  August  25,  1913 


Little  Rock,  Ark.,  May  20,  1913. 


To  Hon.  Charles  B.  Taylor,  Mayor. 

As  Chairman  of  the  Vice  Commission  I have  the  honor  to 
Submit  herewith  its  report,  which  contains  such  recommendations 
and  suggestions  as  will,  in  its  opinion,  aid  you  in  your  efforts  to 
improve  the  condition  of  our  city  in  regard  to  the  social  evil. 
Every  member  of  the  commission  has  given  the  most  careful  con- 
sideration to  this  subject,  which  is  perhaps  the  most  difficult  ques- 
tion today  demanding  the  attention  of  municipal  governments. 
While  there  has  been  much  difference  of  opinion  among  our 
members,  we  have  all  reached  the  conclusion  that  the  proper 
method  of  handling  the  social  evil  is  by  putting  it  under  the  con- 
trol of  a special  department  which  must  account  directly  to  the 
Mayor  himself.  Neither  the  public  nor  the  officials  of  the  city 
should  expect  to  suppress  this  evil  immediately,  but  a vigorous, 
determined  effort  in  accordance  with  ’ the  recommendations  of 
this  report  will  do  much  to  lessen  and  will  perhaps  in  time  sup- 
press as  an  organization  the  social  evil.  No  small  factor  in 
bringing  about  this  result  will  be  an  aroused  public  sentiment 
which  we  hope  the  publication  of  . this  report  will  create.  The 
commission  believes  that  you  will  have  the  earnest  co-operation 
of  our  entire  citizenship  in  your  efforts  to  settle  correctly  this  im- 
portant question. 

The  commission  desires  to  express  its  appreciation  of  the 
work  of  its  Secretary,  the  Rev.  Hay  Watson  Smith,  who  pre- 
pared this  report. 

Yours  truly, 

JNO.  E.  MARTINEAU,  Chairman. 


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REPORT  OF  THE  LITTLE  ROCK  VICE  COMMISSION. 


PART  I. 


Members  of  the  Commission. 


John  E.  Martineau,  Chairman. 

The  Rev.  Hay  Watson  Smith,  Secretary. 

Fred  W.  Allsopp. 

Willard  D.  Ball. 

S.  J.  Beauchamp. 

B.  D.  Brickhouse. 

Elmer  E.  Clarke. 

The  Rev.  Benjamin  Cox. 

Geo.  W.  Emerson. 

John  L.  Greene,  M.  D. 

O.  K.  Judd,  ]\i.  D. 

Ike  Kempner. 

The  Rev.  A.  H.  Poppe. 

W.  M.  Rankin. 

J.  B.  Robinson. 

Chas.  S.  Stifft. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  V.  Tobin. 

George  Thornburgh. 

Milton  Vaughan,  M.  D. 

R.  N.  Watts. 

The  Rev.  J.  R.  Winchester. 

The  Rev.  Louis  Witt. 

Members  of  the  Colored  Commission. 
Joseph  A.  Booker,  Chairman. 


rCCJ  Edward  H.  Carry. 
R.  C.  Childress. 


Geo.  W.  Hayman,  M.  D. 

° AT 


A.  L.  Morris. 


Introduction. 


In  January,  1912,  the  Mayor  of  Little  Rock,  the  Hon.  Chas. 
E.  Taylor,  gave  to  the  city  papers  the  following  communication : 
“To  the  Public  \ 

“Municipal  governments  the  world  over  have  one  extremely 
difficult  problem  to  deal  with— the  so-called  ‘Social  Evil/  Many 
cities  have  ignored  the  problem  except  to  establish  a system  of 


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fines  and  forfeits  which  are  enforced  through  the  police  depart- 
ment of  the  government.  The  idea  heretofore  has  been  to  let 
the  matter  drift  quietly ; but  at  heart  most  men  are  displeased 
with  this  method  of  procedure. 

“Since  I became  mayor  of  the  city  I have  given  the  matter 
considerable  study,  looking  to  the  better  handling  or  suppression 
of  the  evil,  and  in  seeking  for  information  I have  written  the 
mayors  of  a number  of  American  cities,  asking  as  to  the  methods 
pursued  in  each  city  in  handling  the  social  evil  problem.  The 
replies  vary,  but  all  indicate  that  little  if  any  serious  thought  has 
been  devoted  to  the  question. 

“I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  a careful  investigation 
by  a local  commission  looking  to  the  establishment  of  ways  and 
means  by  which  the  evil  may  be  curbed,  handled  or  suppressed, 
would  be  of  great  value  to  our  city  and  to  its  officials. 

“With  a view  to  this  end  I have  asked  some  well-known  cit- 
izens to  serve  as  a vice  commission  for  Little  Rock,  the  idea 
being  to  go  into  the  entire  matter  and  all  other  matters  and  con- 
ditions which  may  tend  to  bring  about  the  evil,  such  as  wages  paid 
to  working  girls  and  women,  their  hours  of  labor,  the  conditions 
under  which  they  "work,  etc. 

“When  the  commission  has  done  this  I think  it  would  be  wise 
to  present  the  results  of  their  study  and  investigation  to  the 
public. 

“I  have  arranged,  too,  with  some  well-known  negro  citizens 
to  serve  as  a similar  commission  to  study  conditions  among  the 
negro  portion  of  our  population.  They  will  also  report  the  results 
of  their  investigation  with  recommendations. 

“Other  cities,  notably  Chicago  and  Minneapolis,  have  re- 
cently appointed  vice  commissions,  and  the  reports  of  these  two 
commissions  will  be  of  much  value  to  our  commission  in  doing 
its  work. 

“The  high  standing  of  the  men  I propose  to  appoint  as  mem- 
bers of  the  two  commissions  is  a guarantee  that  their  work  will 
be  faithfully  done.  Men  of  different  minds  and  training  have 
been  selected,  that  they  might  approach  the  subject  from  every 
viewpoint. 

“Medical  men  testified  before  the  Chicago  commission  that 
the  average  life  of  the  unfortunate  women  who  make  possible  the 
continuance  of  the  social  evil  is  from  five  to  seven  years.  In  view 
of  this  fact,  is  not  the  question  important  when  we  realize  that 
other  young  girls  must  continually  be  drawn  into  this  indescrib- 
able life  to  take ’the  places  of  those  who  so  quickly  die?  From 
what  sources  shall  these  victims  come? 

“The  problem  is  a serious  one,  but4  as  was  said  by  the  chair- 
man of  the  Chicago  commission : ‘The  immensity  of  the  “Social 


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Evil”  problem  is  no  excuse  for  us  to  stand  idly  by  and  do  nothing 
in  an  attempt  to  solve  it.  The  sin  of  impurity  may  not  be  cured 
in  a day,  a year,  or  perhaps  a generation.  But  that  prostitution, 
as  a commercialized  business,  or  anything  akin  to  it,  is  necessary, 
can  never  be  conceded.  We  may  enact  laws,  we  may  appoint 
commissions,  we  may  abuse  civic  administrations  for  their  hand- 
ling of  the  problem;  but  the  problem  will  remain  just  as  long 
as  the  public  conscience  is  dead  to  the  issue  or  is  indifferent  to 
its  solution/ 

“I  am  ready  to  assert  that  the  public  conscience  in  Little  Rock 
is  not  indifferent  to  the  solution  of  the  problem,  and  I believe  the 
time  to  begin  its  solution  is  now  at  hand. 

“Following  are  the  names  alphabetically  arranged,  of  the 
men  I have  appointed  to  serve  as  members  of  the  Little  Rock 
Commission : 

“Judge  John  E.  Martineau  will  serve  as  temporary  chairman 
of  the  commission;  the  Rev.  Hay  Watson  Smith  will  serve  as  tem- 
porary secretary. 

“Fred  W.  Allsopp,  Business  Manager  Arkansas  Gazette; 

“Willard  D.  Ball,  Secretary  Y.  M.  C.  A. ; 

“S.  J.  Beauchamp,  real  estate  dealer; 

“B.  D.  Brickhouse,  Past  President  Machinists’  Union  and 
attorney  for  the  Allied  Trades  Council; 

“Elmer  E.  Clarke,  publisher  Arkansas  Democrat; 

“The  Rev.  Benjamin  Cox,  pastor  First  Baptist  Church. 

“George  W.  Emerson,  attorney; 

“Dr.  J.  L.  Greene,  Superintendent  State  Hospital  for  Ner- 
vous Diseases; 

“Dr.  O.  K.  Judd,  City  Physician ; 

“Ike  Kempner,  Manager  of  Gus  Blass  Dry  Goods  Company ; 

“John  E.  Martineau,  Chancellor  First  District; 

“The  Rev.  A.  H.  Poppe,  pastor  German  Luthern  Church ; 

“W.  M.  Rankin,  Juvenile  Court  Officer; 

“J.  B.  Robinson,  Whitcomb  & Robinson  Lumber  Company; 

“The  Rev.  Hay  Watson  Smith,  pastor  Second  Presbyterian 
Church ; 

“Chas.  S.  Stifft,  President  of  Little  Rock  Board  of  Trade ; 

“The  Rev.  Thos.  V.  Tobin,  rector  St.  Andrews  Catholic 
Cathedral ; 

“Col.  George  Thornburgh,  Editor  Masonic  Trowel ; 

“Dr.  Milton  Vaughan,  Past  President  Pulaski  County  Medi- 
cal Association ; 

“The  Rt.  Rev.  J.  R.  Winchester,  Bishop  Arkansas  Episcopal 
Church ; 

“The  Rev.  Louis  Witt,  Rabbi  Congregation  B’Nai  Israel; 


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Colored  Commission. 


“Prof.  Jos.  A.  Booker,  President  of  the  Arkansas  Baptist 
College,  Chairman; 

“Edward  H.  Carry,  Principal  of  the  Gibbs  High  School; 

“R.  C.  Childress,  Principal  Stephens  Grammar  School ; 

“Dr.  George  W.  Hayman,  physician; 

“Adkins  E.  Morris,  contractor.” 

At-  the  first  meeting  of  the  commission,  held  January  30, 
in  the  mayor’s  office,’ the  temporary  organization  was  made  per- 
manent, and  a cotnmittee  appointed  to  arrange  a plan  of  work. 
This  committee  recommended  that  each  of  the  following  phases 
of  the  social  evil  be  investigated : 

Existing'  Conditions  in  Eittle  Rock. 

Causes  and  Sources  of  Supply  of  the  Social  Evil. 

Medical  and  Educational  Aspect  of  the  Social  Evil. 

The  Saloon  and  the  Dance  Hall  in  Connection  with  the  So- 
cial Evil. 

Rescue  and  Reform. 

Methods  and  Experiences  of  Other  Cities. 

The  reports  of  these  committees  were  submitted  from  time  to 
time  to  the  commission  for  discussion.  When  all  the  reports  had 
been  heard,  the  question  was  formally  debated  whether  a policy 
of  toleration  or  of  suppression  should  be  recommended  by  the 
commission.  The  discussion  of  this  question  lasted  through  sev- 
eral sessions,  of  the  commission,  all  the  members  giving  expres- 
sion to  their  views.  While  there  were  considerable  differences 
of  opinion,  it  was  found  that  every  member  of  the  commission 
was  in  favor  of  the  ultimate  suppression  of  the  social  evil,  the 
only  question  being  that  of  time  and  method.  On  September  3, 
the  following  recommendations,  which  may  be  regarded  as  a sum- 
mary of  the  commission’s  work,  were  unanimously  adopted. 

The  Little  Rock  Vice  Commission  recommends : 

/.  A Special  Department. 

(1)  That  a department  or  board  be  created  by  the  city,  or 
appointed  by  the  mayor,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  rid  the  city  of 
the  social  evil,  and  that  such  department  be  made  responsible  for 
failures  to  enforce  the  ordinances  pertaining, thereto. 

(2)  That  three  police  officers,  one  of  whom  shall  be  a wo- 
man, be  appointed  and  assigned  especially  to  the  work  of  enforc- 
ing all  city  ordinances  against  the  social  evil,  and  that  it  be  made 
the  duty  of  such  officers  to  observe  young  people  on  the  street, 
to  report  them  to  their  parents  or  guardians  in  case  of  improper 
conduct,  and,  if  necessary,  to  arrest  them.  . 


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(3)  That  the  policy  of  the  city  administration  touching  the 
social  evil  emanate  from  the  mayor,  and  that  he  issue  such  order 
as  will  prevent  grafting  by  any  official  or  other  person  in  obtain- 
ing money  from  men  and  women  leading  immoral  lives. 

II.  Bomdy  Houses. 

(1)  That  all  bawdy  houses  in  Little  Rock  be  closed  not 
later  than  three  months  after  the  publication  of  this  report. 

(2)  That  meantime  the  city  ordinance  against  music  and 
other  attractions,  and  against  the  sale  of  beer  and  other  intoxi- 
cants, in  such  houses,  be  enforced. 

(3)  That  the  inmates  and  keepers  of  bawdy  houses  be  given 
to  understand  that  they  cannot  be  protected  by  any  outside  in- 
fluences, and  that  money  paid  for  such  purpose  will  not  exempt 
them  from  the  payment  of  fines. 

III.  Assignation  Houses. 

(1)  That  every  effort  be  made  to  discover  and  close  all 
assignation  houses  immediately. 

''(2)  That  citizens  be  urged  to  report  places  suspected  of 
being  used  for  assignation  purposes,  and  also  assured  that  their 
names  will  not  be  made  known  in  connection  with  such  report, 
without  their  consent. 

IV. 

That  in  all  cases  where  an  inmate  or  keeper  of  an  assigna- 
tion or  bawdy  house  is  fined  for  violating  the  ordinances  against 
such,  the  owner  of  such  property  be  also  fined  in  the  highest 
amount  provided  by  law. 

V.  Illicit  Intercourse  Outside  of  Bazvdy  and  Assignation  Houses. 

(1)  That  the  city  ordinances  against  illicit  intercourse  in 
hotels,  boarding  houses,  parks  and  other  places,  and  against 
“street-walking,”  be  enforced,  and,  as  a preventive  measure,  that 
our  parks  be  better  lighted. 

(2)  That  hotels,  boarding  houses  and  rental  agencies  be 
asked  to  co-operate  with  the  city  officials  in  eliminating  the  social 
evil  from  their  places. 

(3)  That  they  be  notified  also  that  if  assignation  or  illicit 
intercourse  between  men  and  women  is  permitted  in  their  places, 
all  parties  concerned,  including  such  men  and  women,  and  the 
agents,  proprietors  and  owners  of  the  property  where  same  is  per- 
mitted will  be  prosecuted. 

(4)  That  when  arrests  are  made  for  violation  of  the  laws 


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against  prostitution,  no  forfeitures  be  taken ; and  that  when  the 
parties  are  found  guilty,  the  police  court  impose  the  highest  pen- 
alty provided  by  law. 

(5)  That  the  thinking  men  and  women  of  our  city  give 
their  loyal  support  to  the  mayor  and  police  and  police  court  in 
the  policy  herein  outlined- — the  only  policy,  the  commission  be- 
lieves, that  is  consistent  with  the  intelligence,  the  virtue  and  the 
health  of  our  community. 

(6)  That  the  report  of  the  commission  be  published  and* 
copies  placed  in  the  homes  of  our  people. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  policy  recommended  by  the  com- 
mission is  in  almost  every  detail  simply  a policy  of  law  enforce- 
ment. The  city  ordinances  relating  to  the  social  evil  in  all  its 
aspects  are  so  full  and  explicit,  that,  beyond  urging  their  enforce- 
ment, the  commission  has  done  little  in  its  recommendations  but 
suggest  a method  of  rendering  such  enforcement  more  sure.  Yet 
that  suggestion — the  appointment  of  a Morals  Department  and  of 
special  policemen — the  commission  regards  as  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  any  steady  improvement  in  the  situation.  “For  the  admin- 
istration of  any  system  of  control  of  vice,”  says  Prof.  Seligman, 
Secretary  of  the  Committee  of  Fifteen,  New  York,  “experience 
has  demonstrated  that  a special  body  of  police  agents  is  required. 
If  the  ordinary  police  are  permitted  to  arrest  suspected  prosti- 
tutes, or  to  raid  houses  of  prostitution,  the  responsibility  for  the 
care  of  public  morals  is  dissipated,  and  unlimited  opportunities 
for  blackmail  are  created.  The  system  which  leaves  the  initiative 
to  the  private  citizens  is  inadequate.  * ' * * For  the  discovery 

of  prostitution  of  minors,  for  the  control  of  prostitution  in  public 
places  and  upon  the  street,  a limited  body  of  agents  selected  for 
exceptional  qualities  of  tact  and  integrity  is  absolutely  essential.” 

It  will  be  observed  also  that  the  commission  had  not  recom- 
mended the  immediate  closing  of  the  bawdy  houses.  For  the  fol- 
lowing reasons,  an  interval  of  some  weeks  or  months  between  the 
publication  of  this  report  and  the  closing  of  these  places  is  recom- 
mended : 

First:  Some  consideration,  the  commission  felt,  is  due  the 
unfortunate  women  who  have  been  accustomed  to  count  on  the 
indulgence  of  the  city  administration.  They  should  be  given 
time  to  make  arrangements  for  the  future. 

Second:  There  are  not  a few  persons  who  are  opposed 
to  the  suppression  of  the  bawdy  house.  While  the  commission 
does  not  question  the  motives,  at  least  in  the  great  majority  of 
cases,  of  such  persons,  it  is  of  the  opinion  that  they  have  given 
little  or  no  serious  thought  to  the  subject  of  the  social  evil — its 
prevalence,  its  consequences,  and  the  moral  compromises  that 
are  involved  in  any  toleration  of  it,  whether  by  the  city  or  by 
the  citizen.  The  commission  hopes  that  all  who  are  now  doubt- 


ful  concerning,  or  are  opposed  to,  the  policy  of  suppression,  will 
read  this  report  with  open  mind.  The  commission  has  reason  to 
believe,  as  has  been  indicated  in  its  preliminary  word,  that  hos- 
tile criticism  will  thus  he  stayed,  and  that  there  will  be  formed 
and  put  behind  the  city  administration,  in  its  enforcement  of  law, 
a public  sentiment  both  well  informed  and  determined. 


Conditions  in  Little  Rock.  . 

There  are  in  Tittle  Rock  nineteen  white  houses  of  ill  fame, 
all  run  by  women,  and  located  in  a segregated  district  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  city.  The  property  on  which  these  houses  are 
located  is  owned  for  the  most  part  by  well-known  and  prominent 
citizens,  and  is  rented  with  the  knowledge  that  houses  of  prosti- 
tution are  to  be  conducted  in  them.  For  this  reason,  the  rent 
paid  is  higher  than  can  be  obtained  for  the  same  property  if 
used  for  legitimate  business  purposes. 

There  are  between  fifty  and  seventy-five  inmates  of  these 
houses  of  ill  fame,  ranging  in  age  from  16  to  45  years.  The  ma- 
jority are  between  18  and  25  years  old,  possess  a good  common 
school  education,  and  came  from  homes  whi£h  were  pleasant.  By 
far  the  greater  number  came  from  the  cities.  They  assign  various 
reasons  for  living  the  life  they  do ; but  the  desire  for  money  and 
the  perfidy  of  some  man  account  for  the  presence  of  all,  or  almost 
all,  of  these  girls  in  these  places. 

The  price  for  service  is  from  one  to  three  dollars,  and  each 
girl  is  given  what  she  makes  after  paying  her  board  to  the  land- 
lady (which  ranges  from  $12  to  $18  per  week).  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  rates  charged  for  board  are  higher  in  the  cheapest 
houses.  Many  of  the  girls  do  not  make  enough  to  pay  for  their 
board  and  dress  themselves  as  they  are  required  to  dress,  and  for 
that  reason  are  in  debt  to  the  landlady. 

The  sanitary  conditions  surrounding  these  houses  are  about 
as  good  as  could  be  expected  under  the  circumstances.  Some  of 
the  houses  are  furnished  expensively,  some  poorly,  depending 
upon  the  class  of  men  to  whom  they  cater.  In  the  high-priced 
places  the  girls  are  well  dressed  and  keep  their  persons  clean, 
while  in  the  cheap  places  they  give  but  little  attention  to  their  per- 
sons and  dress. 

In  all  these  houses  there  are  dance  halls  for  the  inmates  and 
patrons,  where  music,  dancing,  and  beer  drinking  are  carried  on. 
Many  of  these  are  elaborately  furnished,  and  their  walls  are 
decorated  with  lewd  pictures  which  are  intended  to  arouse  the 
passions  of  men. 

Beer  is  sold  in  all  these  houses  at  one  dollar  a bottle,  and, 
while  we  do  not  know  the  amount  sold,  it  is  the  principal  source 
of  income.  The  cheapest  and  lowest  of  these  houses — that  of 


9 


Stella  Black,  at  301  j/2  East  Markham — is  located  over  a saloon. 
It  sells  beer  to  the  girls  and  permits  them  to  solicit  men  from  the 
back  stairs.  With  -this  exception,  the  saloons  have  no  direct  con- 
nection with  the  bawdy  houses  and,  so  far  as  we  can  ascertain, 
no  saloon  maintains  a wine  room  where  women  are  allowed  to 
drink.  The  restaurants  are  the  only  places  where  women  can 
drink  intoxicants. 

There  is  no  system  of  medical  inspection  in  force  here,  and 
for  that  reason  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  to  what  extent  the 
inmates  are  infected  with  venereal  diseases.  The  keepers  claim 
that  no  inmate  is  permitted  to  render  service  when  diseased.  The 
worth  of  such  claims  will  be  considered  later  in  this  report.  We 
are  unable  to  get  any  reliable  information  as  to  the  use  of  cocaine 
and  other  drugs  of  a similar  nature. 

At  the  present  time,  these  houses  are  permitted  to  run  within 
the  district  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  river,  ;on  the  east  by 
Rock,  on  the  south  by  Third  and  on  the  west  by  Main.  The 
keeper  is  required  to  pay  the  city  a fine  of  $25  a month,  and  each 
inmate  is  made  to  pay  a fine  of  $5  monthly.  When  this  is  paid, 
these  people  are  not  molested  in  their  business  so  far  as  the  police 
are  concerned,  unless  other  violations  of  the  law  occur  in  con- 
nection with  these  houses.  Aside  from  the  running  of  their  bus- 
iness and  selling  beer,  very  few  violations  of  the  law  take  place 
in  these  resorts.  The  mayor  and  chief  of  police  have  adopted 
the  policy  of  not  allowing  beer  to  be  sold,  but  notwithstanding 
this,  it  is  sold  in  almost  all  of  these  places.  The  police  say  they 
prosecute  all  cases  where  evidence  to  convict  can  be  obtained, 
but  insist  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  evidence'  justifying  a 
conviction.  In  many  cases  the  keeper  does  not  deny  selling  beer, 
when  brought  into  police  court.  We  find  that  this  class  of  keep- 
ers is  fined  about  once  each  month  in  police  court,  the  fine  being 
$50.  This  policy  is  pursued  with  the  better  class  of  houses.  The 
police  judge  makes  some  of  these  State  cases,  and  taxes  the 
costs,  amounting  to  $17. 

Prior  to  the  present  city  administration,  each  keeper  of  a 
bawdy  house  was  fined  $25  for  running  the  house  and  $25 
monthly  for  selling  beer.  No  further  tax  or  fine  was  imposed, 
so  far  as  the  city  was  concerned.  Now  the  beer  fine  is  dropped, 
except  as  indicated  herein,  but  each  inmate  is  fined  $5  monthly, 
which  brings  to  the  city  about  the  same  revefme  from  this  source 
as  before. 

- The  keepers  of  these  houses  are  also  prosecuted  in  the  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  court  on  information  filed  by  the  prosecuting 
attorney  charging  them  with  selling  intoxicating  liquors  without 
licenses,  and  are  fined  quarterly  $50  and  costs,  amounting  in  all 
to  $67.  No  resistance  is  ordinarily  made  to  this  charge,  and  it 
is  treated  by  them  as  a license  for  running  their  business  and  for 


10 


selling  beer.  Under  prosecuting  attorneys  prior  to  the  present 
one,  these  women  were  fined  $25  quarterly  or  oftener  for  run- 
ning a bawdy  house.  The  present  prosecuting  attorney  an- 
nounced in  his  campaign  that  no  fine  would  be  imposed  upon 
these  women  for  running  bawdy  houses;  and  instead  of  being 
fined  for  keeping  bawdy  houses,  they  are  now  fined  for  selling 
intoxicating  liquors  illegally.  No  further  notice  of  these  viola- 
tions of  the  law  is  taken  by  the  county  officials. 

Since  the  present  policy  of  not  allowing  intoxicating  liquor 
to  be  sold  in  these  resorts  has  been  adopted  by  the  city,  a certain 
lawyer  has  made  many  of  these  women  believe  that  he  is  in  a 
position  to  afford  them  protection  on  account  of  the  violations 
of  this  regulation,  and  by  this  means  has  induced  many  of  them 
to  pay  him  $35.00  monthly  as  a fee.  Out  of  this  he  agrees  to 
pay  their  fines  for  the  illegal  sale  of  beer,  both  to  the  city  and 
county.  This  is  clearly  a species  of  graft. 

At  present  no  recognized  houses  of  assignation  are  per- 
mitted to  run  in  Little  Rock.  The  police  have  orders  to  raid  all 
places  reported  to  be  carrying  on  such  a business.  Many  of  the 
old  houses  of  assignation  have  been  closed.  We  believe,  how- 
ever, that  there  are  many  places  where  assignations  between 
men  and  women  take  place  for  immoral  purposes.  They  are 
scattered  in  the  residence  and  business  districts,  and  are  run 
very  quietly.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  get  evidence  against 
them.  Rooming  houses  for  men  in  the  down  town  districts  are 
often  used  for  these  purposes.  The  public  parks  of  the  city  are 
used  by  many  of  the  younger  boys  and  girls  in  this  way.  Like- 
wise, many  of  the  hotels  and  rooming  houses  either  cater  to  this 
class  of  trade  or  permit  men  and  women  to  use  their  rooms  for 
assignation  purposes  when  they  register  as  man  and  wife. 

While  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  with  any  degree  of  ac- 
curacy the  amount  of  prostitution  that  is  practiced-  in  Little  Rock, 
outside  the  twenty  recognized  bawdy  houses,  there  is  no  doubt, 
as  a well  known  writer  says,  that  the  growth  of  the  social  evil 
is  at  present  in  the  direction  of  clandestine  prostitution.  All  au- 
thorities on  prostitution  are  agreed  that  clandestine  prostitutes 
far  outnumber  the  registered  prostitutes,  some  estimating  that 
they  are  from  ten  to  fifteen  times  as  numerous.  After  weigh- 
ing all  the  available  evidence,  Prof.  Seligman  says : ‘‘Without 
laying  too  great  weight  upon  congectural  estimates,  although  the 
authors  cited  are  entitled  to  the  highest  respect,  one  may  con- 
sider it  a very  conservative  opinion  that  in  none  of  the  great 
cities  of  Europe  do  the  registered  prostitutes  make  up  more  than 
from  ten  to  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  those 
who  gain  their  living  by  prostitution.”  (“The  Social  Evil,” 
p.  84.) 

If  this  proportion  holds  for  Little  Rock,  then  there  are  from 


11 


250  to  600  immoral  women  in  our  city,  outside  the  twenty  bawdy 
houses.  From  all  the  evidence  at  our  command,  we  feel  that 
600  is  a conservative  estimate  of  the  number  of  white  women  and 
girls  in  our  city  who  are  engaged  in  occasional  or  professional 
prostitution. 

It  may  be  added  that  the  morbidity  of  clandestine  prosti- 
tutes, contrary  to  the  common  view,  is  very  high.  Of  47,000 
clandestine  prostitutes  examined  in  Paris,  from  1872  to  1888, 
more  than  14,000  were  found  to  be  diseased.  For  a discussion 
of  the  relative  morbidity  of  the  clandestine  and  the  registered 
prostitute,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Prof.  Seligman’s  “The  Social 
Evil,”  pp.  84-88. 

Young  girls  and  women  may  be  found  on  our  streets  who 
solicit  men.  They  are  often  not  over  sixteen  years  of  age.  Noth- 
ing is  now  being  done  to  check  this  practice.  In  some  cases,  the 
inmates  of  houses  of  ill  fame  solicit  men  from  their  doors  and 
on  the  streets  in  the  segregated  district. 

We  have  had  before  us  city  and  county  officials  whose  duty 
it  is  to  enforce  the  law  with  reference  to  houses  of  prostitution, 
and  they  all  express  a willingness  to  pursue  any  course  which  will 
lessen  the  evils  coming  from  these  immoral  practices. 


PART  II. 

THE  CITY  ADMINISTRATION  AND  THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 

From  the  standpoint  of  municipal  government  there  are 
three  well  known  methods  of  dealing  with  the  social  evil — regie- 
mentation,  toleration,  and  suppression. 

Regimentation. 

Reglementation  means  the  legalizing  of  prostitution,  and  it 
implies  the  issuing  of  licenses  to  prostitutes,  and  the  enforcement 
of  medical  and  police  supervision.  Prostitution  is  thus  regulated 
like  any  other  business  that  needs  to  have  restrictions  thrown 
around  it.  When  prostitutes  are  restricted  within  specified  limits 
confined,  that  is,  to  some  particular  part  of  the  city — this  is 
known  as  segregation ; but  reglementation  may,  and  does,  exist 
without  segregation. 

While  reglementation  has  been  in  operation  in  European 
cities, for  a century  or  more,  the  commission  has  not  thought  it 
worth  while  to  consider  it  as  a possible  method  of  handling  the 
social  evil  in  Little  Rock.  It  reasons  for  passing  it  by  are: 

(1)  The  moral  sense  of  the  community  would  not  tolerate 
the  repeal  of  existing  laws  against  prostitution,  nor  the  legalizing 


12 


of  a commerce  that  is  inherently  immoral.  It  has  been  tried  once 
or  twice  in  America,  notably  in  St.  Louis  and  New  York,  and 
has  gone  down  in  defeat  before  an  aroused  public  sentiment. 
“Thus,”  says  Prof.  Seligman,  writing  of  the  defeat  of  the  Page 
Bill,  1910-1911,  in  New  York,  “came  to  an  end,  probably  for 
many  years,  the  effort  to  introduce  by  law  into  any  American  city 
the  European  system  of  reglementation.”  (“The  Social  Evil,” 
P-  235.) 

(2)  Reglementation,  while  having  much  in  theory  to  com- 
mend it,  has  in  actual  practice  proved  a failure  as  a method  of 
either  controlling  or  reducing  the  social  evil. 

“Throughout  Europe,”  says  the  Minneapolis  Vice  Commis- 
sion, “wherever  the  system  of  licensing  prevails,  the  unregistered 
prostitutes  outnumber  the  registered  ones  ten  to  one.  Your  com- 
mission cannot  recommend  the  importation  of  a system  dis- 
credited upon  the  ground  where  it  arose.” 

Similarly  the  Chicago  commission : 

“Some  who  have  a superficial  knowledge  of  the  ‘Continental 
System’  of  segregation  and  regulation  based  on  a cursory  reading 
or  surface  investigation,  might  bring  it  forward  as  a method  of 
relief.  One  has  but  to  read  scientific  works  on  the  subject,  to 
study  the  reports  of  international  conferences  held  in  Europe, 
and  to  hear  the  findings  of  careful  investigators  to  see  the  un- 
reliability and  futility  of  such  a system,  and  to  learn  of  its 
failures  as  a permanent  institution  wherever  it  has  been  under- 
taken in  this  country  of  abroad.  The  commission  is  convinced 
that  the  so-called  system  has  proved  itself  degenerating  and  in- 
effective.” (Chicago  Report,  p.  26.) 

And  again,  page  254 : “For  nearly  one  hundred  years  Euro- 
pean cities  have  been  trying  to  reduce  the  volume  of  venereal 
disease  by  medical  and  sanitary  efforts.  Disease,  however,  has 
persisted,  unchecked,  statistics  often  showing  an  increase  in  spite 
of  all  the  sanitary  efforts  available.” 

Toleration. 

As  has  been  shown  above,  toleration  has  been  the  policy  of 
the  city  administration  hitherto. ' For  the  following  reasons  the 
commission  believes  that  that  policy  should  come  to  an  end : 

(1)  It  puts  the  public  in  a position  of  winking  at  habitual 
violation  of  the  law. 

That  the  people  of  Little  Rock  may  know  how  clear  and 
explicit  are  the  city  ordinances  against  prostitution  in  all  its 
forms,  and  against  those  who  let  their  property  for  immoral  use, 
the  following  digest  is  given : 

Section  856  prohibits  keeping  a bawdy  house,  house  of  ill- 
fame  or  assignation,  and  prohibits  any  person  owning  or  con- 


13 


trolling  any  house  or  tenement  to  lease  for  such  purposes.  Pen- 
alty not  less  than  twenty-five  dollars,  double  that  amount  for 
each  repetition  of  the  offense,  and  upon  a trial  of  any  such  case 
both  the  city  an d.  the  defendant  may  introduce  testimony  as  to 
the  general  reputation  of  the  party  or  the  house  in  question. 

Section  861  prohibits  any  prostitute,  bawd,  courtesan  or  lewd 
woman  from  plying  or  seeking  to  ply  her  vocation  by  word,  sign 
or  action  on  the  streets,  alleys  or  in  public  places,  or  at  the  door 
or  window  of  any  house.  Penalty,  two  to  twenty-five  dollars. 

Section  862  prohibits  any  prostitute,  bawd,  lewd  woman,  or 
female  inmate  of  a bawdy  house,  house  of  prostitution,  house  of 
assignation,  brothel  or  house  of  bad  repute  from  wandering  about 
the  streets  in  the  night  time  or  frequenting  dram  shops  or  beer 
saloons.  Penalty,  two  to  twenty-five  dollars. 

Section  863  prohibits  prostitutes  from  living  in  any  house 
or  occupying  any  room  with  any  other  female.  Penalty,  same  as 
preceding  section. 

Section  864  provides  that  upon  trial  before  the  police  court 
of  any  person  charged  with  violating  any  of  the  ‘foregoing  laws, 
it  shall  be  unlawful  for  the  city  or  defendant  to  introduce  testi- 
mony as  to  the  general  character  and  reputation  of  the  defend- 
ant touching  matters  set  forth  in  the  preceding  section. 

Section  865  prohibits  any  bawd,  prostitute  or  lewd  woman 
from  occupying  or  using  any  room  or  tenement  in  the  city  of 
Little  Rock  for  the  purpose  of  prostitution  or  assignation,  and 
prohibits  any  person  owning  or  controlling  any  room  or  tene- 
ment from  permitting  such  a woman  to  occupy  said  room  or 
tenement,  and  prohibits  any  male  person  from  frequenting  or 
visiting  room  or  tenement  so  kept,  used  or  occupied  for  the  pur- 
pose for  illicit  intercourse. 

Section  866  prohibits  any  female  from  habitually  submitting 
herself  for  the  purpose  of  prostitution  or  from  being  in  the 
habit  of  receiving  or  making  visits  therefor ; and  in  such  events, 
both  she  and  her  male  paramour  or  visitor  shall  be  guilty  of  a 
misdemeanor. 

Section  867  provides  that  every  person  found  gir’lty  of  a 
misdemeanor  under  any  of  the  provisions  of  the  foregoing 
ordinances  shall  be  subject  to  a fine  of  not  less  than  five  nor 
more  than  twenfy-five  dollars.  It  further  provides  that  every 
day  that  such  violation  is  committed  or  continued  shall  be  deemed 
a separate  ofifense ; and  that  any  person  convicted  in  the  police 
court  for  the  violation  of  these  laws  may  be  committed  to  prison 
until  such  fine  and  costs  are  paid,  or  he  or  she  be  discharged  by 
due  course  of  law. 

Section  1465  makes  it  the  duty  of  the  chief  of  police  to  re- 
port to  the  Police  Committee  all  cases  of  houses  of  ill  fame, 
bawdy  houses,  or  such  as  are  occupied  or  used  by  lewd  women 


14 


for  the  purpose  of  prostitution  which  are  in  his  opinion  used  as 
such,  or  which  are  reported  to  him  by  responsible  persons  to  be 
used  as  such. 

Section  1466  makes  it  the  duty  of  the  Police  Committee  if, 
after  • investigation,  they  find  that  such  houses  or  tenements  are 
occupied  or  used  for  the  purposes  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
section,  to  declare  the  same  a nuisance,  and  it  shall  then  be  the 
duty  of  the  chief  of  police  to  abate  the  same  in  the  manner 
prescribed  by  the  city  ordinances  for  other  nuisances. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  commission  recommends : 

(1)  That  the  City  Council  of  Little  Rock  pass  an  ordinace 
substantially  as  follows : 

Any  person  charged  with  a violation  of  any  city  ordinance 
enacted  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  prostitution  who  shall 
enter  his  appearance  under  a false  or  fictitious  name,  or  who  shall 
fail  or  refuse  to  enter  his  true  name,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of 
a misdemeanor,  and  shall  be  subject  to  a fine  of  not  more  than 
dollars,  and  not  less  th£n ...dollars. 

(2)  That  the  legislature  of  Arkansas  pass  laws  against  pros- 
titution in  substantial  accord  with  the  city  ordinances  of  Little 
Rock,  and  that, at  enact  a white  slave  law  similar  to  that  re- 
cently enacted  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

It  thus  appears  that  all  prostitutes  and  their  patrons,  to- 
gether with  those  who  let  or  use  their  property  for  such  pur- 
poses, habitually  violate  the  law.  If  the.  people  of  Little  Rock 
believe  that  the  social  evil  is  an  indispensible  institution,  then 
they  should  legalize  it.  They  cannot,  without  something  like 
hypocrisy,  sanction  both  the  law  and  its  non-enforcement. 

(2)  A policy  of  toleration  means  that  the  mayor  and  the 
police,  and  all  officers  whose  duty  it  is  to  enforce  the  law, 
habitually  violate  their  oath  of  office.  The  effect  of  such  neglect 
of  duty,  especially  upon  the  morale  of  the  police  force,  cannot  but 
be  bad. 

(3)  Under  the  present  system  the  city  presents  the  spectacle 
of  deriving  revenue  from  an  institution,  not  only  immoral  and 
shameful,  but  productive  of  the  most  frightful  consequences  to 
both  body  and  mind,  and  to  the  innocent  as  well  as  to  the 
guilty.  Such  a position  does  not  comport  with  the  dignity  and 
moral  sense  of  a city  such  as  ours. 

Suppression. 

There  is# an  ingrained  prejudice  on  the  part  of  many  people 
against  all  attempts  to  suppress  by  force  what  is  rooted  in  natural 
instinct  and  inclination.  In  view  of  this  prejudice,  the  commis- 
sion wishes  to  make  very  clear  what  it  means  by  suppression. 
Suppression  may  be  of  two  kinds : of  an  immoral  thought  by 

15 


will  power,  and  of  a criminal  act  or  an  illegal  institution  by 
police  power.  It  is  the  confusion  of  these  that  gives  rise  to 
prejudice  and  to  a great  deal  of  ignorant  criticism. 

The  suppression  of  immoral  thoughts,  the  control  of  impure 
desires,  is  a personal  and  individual  matter  with  which  civil 
government  has  nothing  to  do — at  least,  nothing  directly.  Such 
control  or  suppression  is  brought  about  by  education  and  reli- 
gion, not  by  government.  The  kind  of  suppression  that  lies 
within  the  domain  of.  civil  government  is  that  of  illegal  acts  and 
institutions.  To  illustrate : Civil  government  is  directed,  not 
against  vindictiveness  as  an  immoral  impulse,  but  against  assault 
as  a criminal  act ; not  against  malicious  thought,  but  against 
slander  and  libel ; not  against  coveftousness,  but  against  theft ; 
not  against  the  gaming  instinct,  but  against  gambling  and  the 
'lottery.  In  general,  civil  government  regards  crime,  not  sin. 

In  the  light  of  this  distinction,  which  is  elementary,  it  will 
at  once  appear  how  pointless  is  the  common  remark,  “You  can- 
not make  men  good  by  legislation.”  This  remark  is  too  often 
quoted,  and  with  such  an  air  of  wisdom  and  finality,  that  two 
things  should  be  kept  constantly  in  mind  with,  regard  to  it : 
First,  it  is  not  the  purpose  of  criminal  legislation  to  make  men 
good.  The  only  way  to  make  men  good  is  to  transform  their 
motives ; but  government  has  to  do  with  acts,  not  motives. 
Arrest  and  imprisonment  sometimes  operate  to  transform  a man’s 
character,  but  that  is  incidental.  The  primary  purpose  of  the 
government  in  arrest  and  punishment  is  to  protect  society  against 
criminals,  not  to  transform  the  criminals  themselves.  Secondly, 
the  remark  proves  too  much.  Its  implication  is : Since  you 
can’t  make  men  good  by  legislation,  don’t  legislate;  since  you 
can’t  suppress  wholly,  don’t  try  to  suppress  at  all.  Carried  to 
its  logical  conclusion,  such  reasoning  would  lead  to  the  abroga- 
tion of  all  laws  against  assault,  theft,  gambling  and  libel,  and  to 
the  cessation  of  all  attempts  to  suppress  the  things  themselves ; 
for  not  one  of  them  has  ever  been  wholly  suppressed.  Yet,  no 
intelligent  man  doubts  that  the  laws  against  these  crimes,  and 
the  fear  of  punishment  of  violation  thereof,  act  as  powerful 
restraint  upon  men’s  passions  and  cupidity.  If  these  crimes  have 
not  been  wholly  suppressed,  they  have  at  least  been  greatly  re- 
duced. Without  laws  against  them,  and  power  to  enforce  such 
laws,  community  life  is  inconceivable.  Now  the  commission  be- 
lieves that  the  attitude  of  the  city  administration  towards  prosti- 
tution as  a criminal  act  should  differ  in  no  respect  from  its  at- 
titude toward  assault  and  theft  and  gambling.  It  is  not  asked  to 
suppress  a sexual  impulse,  but  an  indecent  and  criminal  act.  It 
believes,  further,  that  th£  enforcement  of  all  ordinances  against 
both  men  and  . women  engaged  in  this  illicit  commerce,  and 
against  those  who  let  or  use  their  property  for  such  purpose,  will 


16 


act  as  a powerful  restraint  upon  the  passions  of  men,  and 
serve  as  a much  needed  protection  to  young  girls. 

The  commission  realizes,  however,  that  the  enforcement  of 
the  laws  against  prostitution  is  only  one,  and  perhaps  not  the 
most  effective,  of  the  several  means  of  reducing  the  social  evil. 
A policy  of  suppression,  using  the  word  in  a broad  sense,  should 
include  not  only  law  enforcement,  but  the  enlightenment  of 
parents  and  educators,  the  instruction  of  the  children,  the  im- 
provement of  conditions  that  act  as  causes  of  supply,  and  the 
enactment  of  such  laws,  state  and  municipal,  as  will  further  the 
cause  of  public  purity.  The  aid  of  all  of  these  has  been  invoked 
at  one  place  or  another  in  the  commission’s  report. 

With  this  explanation  of  what  the  commission  understands 
by  suppression,  both  in  a narrower  and  a broader  sense,  it  sub- 
mits the  following  reasons  why  such  a policy  should  receive  the 
support  of  all  thoughtful  men  and  women : 

(1)  The  reasons  given  against  toleration  are,  of  course, 
arguments  for  suppression.  Suppression  means  enforcement  of 
law,  fidelity  to  oath  of  office,  and  a removal  from  the  city’s  good 
name  of  the  stigma  of  receiving  revenue  from  a traffic  at  once 
immoral,  illegal  and  productive  of  widespread  disease. 

(2)  The  effect  of  illicit  sexual  intercourse  upon  the  moral 
character  of  men  and  women  is  always  bad,  and  often  disastrous. 
The  whole  moral  tone  is  lowered.  A double  life  is  an  easy  road 
to  moral  duplicity.  In  case  venereal  disease  is  contracted,  it  is 
the  testimony  of  physicians  that  men  and  women  are  systemati- 
cally untruthful  *as  to  the  source  of  the  contagion. 

There  is  likewise  forced  upon  physicians  and  hospital  at- 
tendants an  habitual  concealment  and  indirection.  “If  the  ve- 
nereal patient,”  says  Dr.  Morrow,  “is  admitted  to  a hospital  his 
disease  is  baptized  under  a different  name.  The  nomenclature 
adopted  by  our  hospital  is  calculated  to  conceal  the  extent  of 
venereal  morbidity.  The  systematic  manifestations  and  sequelae 
of  these  diseases  under  which  they  are  entered  on  the  records  of 
the  hospital  lend  themselves  to  this  policy  of  concealment. 
Venereal  diseases  masquerade  under  various  aliases.  * * * 

This  policy  of  concealment  follows  the  patient  with  venereal 
disease  to  the  grave.”  (“Social  Disease  and  Marriage,”  pp. 
349.  350- ) 

(3)  The  third  argument  for  the  suppression  of  prostitution 
is  the  consequences  of  it  in  the  diseases  which  it  entails. 

Venereal  Disease. 

(a)  The  nature  of  venereal  disease. 

Gonorrhea  is  often  regarded  by  young  men  as  a trivial  af- 
fection, “of  no  more  consequence  than  a bad  cold.”  In  the  out- 


17 


set  it  is  purely  a local  affection ; yet  the  organism,  or  germ, 
responsible  for  the  disease,  clings  to  the  affective  tissues  in  both 
acute  and  chronic  conditions  and  persists  with  virulent  infectious 
properties  long  after  the  disease  is  apparently  cured.  During 
either  the  acute  or  chronic  course  of  this  disease,  which  in  the 
beginning  is  purely  local,  the  germs  may  invade  the  general  blood 
stream  and  set  up  an  immediately  fatal  inflammatory  ailment  of 
the  heart  or  central  nervous  system. 

Its  activities  not  infrequently  invade  the  larger  joints,  pro- 
ducing one  of  the  most  painful  types  of  illness  to  which  the 
human  economy  is  subjected,  and  this  type  of  joint  inflammation 
is  generally  followed  by  permanent  injury  to  structures,  leaving 
the  afflicted  one  a cripple  for  the  remainder  of  life.  The  acci- 
dental transference  of  pus  from  the  original  site  of  the  in- 
fection to  the  eye  will  set  up  an  inflammation  that  usually  de- 
stroys the  vision  within  three  or  four  days. 

One  of  the  most  baneful  effects  is  the  latency  of  the  disease 
and  its  well  known  persistence,  as  an  infective  process,  long  after 
an  apparent  cure  has  been  accomplished.  It  is  this  quality 
which  renders  it  so  dangerous  to  the  innocent  wife  of  the  pre- 
viously affected  and  supposedly  cured  young  husband.  Gonor- 
rhea, thus  transmitted,  is  responsible  for  70  per  cent  of  all  the 
operations  for  inflammatory  diseases  peculiar  to  women ; and  the 
infection  of  the  eyes  of  the  new  born  child,  due  to  the  presence 
of  the  disease  in  a latent  condition  in  the  mother,  is  responsible 
for  more  than  30  per  cent  of  existing  blindness  on  earth  today. 

Dr.  Neisser,  who  discovered  the  organism,  or  germ,  of  this 
disease,  asserts  that  it  is  responsible  for  more  than  40  per  cent 
of  all  involuntary  childless  marriages  today. 

Syphilis  is  a malignant  infection  of  the  general  blood  stream, 
by  an  organism  whose  tendency  of  life  is  so  great  as  to  render  its 
destruction  by  drugs  or  any  other  known  means,  one  of  the 
most  difficult  problems  presented  to  the  medical  profession 
throughout  all  time.  Cure,  when  accomplished  at  all,  is  only 
attained  after  months  or  years  of  the  most  painstaking  and  con- 
stant administration  of  drugs  of  a poisonous  nature.  In  times 
past,  few  men  have  had  the  hardihood  and  persistence  to  follow 
a course  of  treatment  to  final  cure,  and  this  has  resulted  in  the 
transmission  of  the  ailment  to  the  innocent  in  many  instances. 

(b)  The  source  of  venereal  disease. 

The  original  source  of  venereal  disease  is  prostitution.  Dr. 
Ludwig  Weiss,  of  New  York,  writing  in  the  Journal  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  January  24,  1903,  says : 

“Prostitution  must  be  regarded  as  the  fountain  head  from 
which  venereal  diseases  originate.  It  forms  the  main  source 
from,  through,  and  by  which  courses  in  an  unbroken,  vitiated 


18 


stream,  the  poison  which  inoculates  the  living  and  contaminates 
the  yet  unborn.  In  comparison  to  this,  all  other  modes  of  propa- 
gation are  nil.  In  order  to  stamp  out  venereal  diseases  abso- 
lutely, prostitution  must  be  annihilated  first.  No  prostitution, 
no  venereal  disease.  To  prevent  these  diseases  measures  must 
be  instituted  against  prostitution.  Any  prophylaxis  instituted 
against  their  spread  must  necessarily  begin  with  measures  di- 
rected towards  either  the  suppression  or  repression  of  prostitu- 
tion.” 

And  Dr.  William  P.  Belfield,  of  Rush  Medical  College,  says : 

“Every  prostitute,  public  or  private,  acquires-  venereal  dis- 
eases sooner  or  later,  hence,  all  of  them  are  diseased  some  of 
the  time,  and  some  of  them  all  of  the  time.  The  man  who 
patronizes  them  risks  his  health  at  every  exposure.” 

(c)  The  detection  of  venereal  diseases. 

The  keepers  of  the  houses  of  ill  fame  all  assert  that  they 
do  not  allow  the  inmates  to  render  service  when  diseased.  The 
value  of  such  a claim  may  be  judged  by  the  following  quotation 
from  Dr.  Prince  A.  Morrow,  of  New  York,  who  is  known  both 
in  America  and  in  Europe  as  an  authority  in  venereal  disease. 
Speaking  of  the  Page  Bill,  he  says : 

“The  law,  in  requiring  a prompt  report  from  the  examin- 
ing physician  as  to  whether  or  not  a prostiture  is  diseased,  de- 
mands what  medical  science  and  skill  are  utterly  unable  to  fur- 
nish. While  it  may  be  comparatively  easy  to  recognize  the  pres- 
ence of  acute  gonorrhea,  these  women,  for  obvious  reasons,  sel- 
dom practice  their  vocation  with  the  disease  in  this  stage ; the 
vast  majority  of  infractions  originate  from  chronic  or  latent 
gonorrhea.  When  the  disease  is  localized,  in  the  deeper  organs, 
the  clinical  evidence  and  bacteriological  proof  , of  its  existence  are 
exceedingly  difficult  or  impossible  to  establish,  and  yet  the  dis- 
ease may  be  actively  contagious.  The  testimony  of  all  special- 
ists is  concurrent  upon  this  point,  that  in  these  cases  it  is  im- 
possible ’to  determine  with  certainty  the  presence  or  absence  of 
contagious  elements.  Nothing  is  easier  than  the  diagnosis  of 
syphilis  in  the  active  stage  or  secondary  eruption ; but  syphilis 
is  not  a diseases  of  continuous  symptoms.  In  the  intervals  be- 
tween the  outbreaks  when  the  disease  is  in  the  contagious  stage, 
there  may  be  absolutely  no  evidence  of  its  existence,  yet  there 
may  be  an  explosion  of  contagious  elements  a few  days  there- 
after. * * * 

“As  regards  hospital  treatment  and  cure,  it  may  be  said  that 
in  the  life  of  our  present  positive  knowledge  of  the  prolonged 
contagious  activity  of  syphilis  for  years  and  the  chronic  gonor- 
rhea which  may  persist  indefinitely,  the  assignment  of  a time  for 
the  cure  of  these  diseases  is  unwarranted.  The  contagious  laws 


19 


of  these  diseases  do  not  lend  themselves  to  legislative  enactments. 
The  treatment  of  chronic  gonorrhea  in  women  is  the  most  diffi- 
cult and  prolonged  in  medical  therapeutics.  Many  cases  cannot 
be  cured  without  the  removal  of  the  deeper  organs  in  which  the 
germs  find  lodgment.  If  a woman  is  cured  she  may  be  reinfected 
an  hour  after  she  leaves  the  hospital.  Syphilis  cannot  be  cured 
in  a year,  two  or  even  three  years,  and  in  many  cases  the  disease 
is  contagious  during  a much  longer  period.  These  cases  may 
be  whitewashed,  that  is,  cleared  of  existing  manifestations,  but 
they  are  not  cured.” 

(d)  Extent  of  venereal  diseases. 

The  physicians  of  Little  Rock  are  of  the  opinion  that  from 
60  to  80  per  cent  of  the  male  population  have,  at  one  time  or  an 
other  had  gonorrhea  or  syphilis.  The  Chicago  commission,  five 
members  of  which  \vere  physicians,  says : 

“The  existence  of  venereal  diseases  among  people  is  much 
underestimated.  There  are  creditable  statistics  to  show  that 
one-half  of  the  population  of  civilized  countries  have  had  or 
have  gonorrhea,  and  that  from  one-fifth  to  one-tenth  have  had 
syphilis.” 

“Gonorrhea,”  says  the  Indiana  State  Board  of  Health,  “is 
said  to  be  the  most  widespread  disease  among  adult  male  mem- 
bers of  the  human  family,  and  in  the  light  of  increased  knowl- 
edge, is  held  to  be  doing  more  harm  to  the  race  than  syphilis.” 

The  Minneapolis  commission,  three  of  whom  were  physi- 
cians, says: 

“The  prevalence  of  syphilis  is  estimated  at  from  five  to 
eighteen  per  cent  of  population,  some  countries  having  a worse 
record  than  others.  Medical  writers  assert  that  from  ten  to 
fifteen  per  cent  of  the  male  population  of  Europe  have  syphilis. 
Gonorrhea  is  more  widely  diffused.”  (Report,  p.  45.) 

(e)  Effects  of  venereal  diseases. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  taken  from  the  Chicago  re- 
port : 

“Prostitution  is  pregnant  with  diseases,  a disease  infecting 
not  only  the  guilty,  but  contaminating  the  innocent  wife  and 
child  in  the  home  with  sickening  certainty  almost  inconceivable; 
a disease  to  be  feared  with  as  great  horrors  as  a leprous  plague ; 
a disease  scattering  misery  broadcast,  and  leaving  in  its  wake 
sterility,  insanity,  paralysis,  the  blinded  eyes  of  little  babes,  the 
twisted  limbs  of  deformed  children,  degredation,  physical  rot 
and  mental  decay.”  (Report,  p.  25.) 

“Not  infrequently  gonorrhea  produces  many  dangers,  con- 
stitutional results  and  exerts  a very  decided  influence  in  the 


* 


20 


production  of  many  female  disorders.  It  underlies  many  cases 
of  what  are  called  rheumatism  and  joint  disorder.  It  is  an  ex- 
ceedingly common  cause  of  blindness  in  the  new  born.  Accord- 
ing to  German  statistics,  30,000  cases  of  blindness  in  that  coun- 
try are  due  to  gonorrhea.  According  to  recent  statistics  much 
of  the  sterility  in  the  male  is  due  to  gonorrhea.  About  40  per 
cent  of  the  cases  in  women  result  from  gonorrhea  as  a de- 
termining cause.”  (Report,  p.  293.) 

In  summarizing  the  medical  aspects  of  the  social  evil,  the 
Chicago  Report  says,  page  305: 

“The  ravages  of  venereal  diseases  are  past  comprehension. 
Among  the  results  mentioned  are : 

“(a)  Criminals. 

“(b)  Blindness. 

“(c)  Sterility. 

“(d)  Abortion. 

“(e)  Abdominal  operations. 

“(f)  Uterine  and  ovarian  disease. 

“(g)  Death  at  an  early  age.” 

In  a health  circular  issued  by  the  Indiana  State  Board  of 
Health,  it  is  stated  that  “a  majority  (some  hospital  authorities 
assert  70  per  cent,  others  85  per  cent)  of  abdominal  and  pelvic 
surgical  operations  on  women  are  the  result  of  gonorrheal  in- 
fection, in  many  cases  ignorantly  transmitted  by  the  husband 
Of  the  effects  of  syphilis,  the  circular  says 
“This  is  the  disease  responsible  for  an  asserted  90  per  cent 
of  locomoter  attaxia,  a large  per  cent  of  insanity,  for  a greater 
number  of  still-born  children,  and  for  a heavy  percentage  of 
premature  deaths  of  children ; for  apoplexy,  paralysis  and  sud- 
den death  long  after  the  disease  is  supposed  to  have  been  elimi- 
nated. Insurance  actuaries  hold  that  on  an  average  syphilis 
shortens  life  one-third.” 

In  the  two  schools  for  the  blind  in  Little  Rock  there  are 
120  children,  40  of  whom  are  blind  through  the  sins  of  their 
fathers. 

PART  III. 

The  commission  has  investigated  the  economic  condition  of 
working  girls  and  women  in  Little  Rock,  and  submits  the  fol- 
lowing report 

There  are  2,490  white  girls  and  women  employed  in  our 
city,  from  the  ages  of  14  to  72. 

The  stores  pay  from  $3.50  per  week  to  $125.00  per  month, 
and  are  open  nine  hours  a day. 


21 


Women'  and  girls  employed  in  offices  are  paid  from  $15.60 
to  $100.00  per  month,  and  as  a rule  there  is  opportunity  for  ad- 
vancement. 

The  telephone  company  has  in  its  employ  about  175  women 
and  girls.  In  the  operating  department  they  pay  from  $20.00 
to  $65.00  a month.  They  work  nine  hours  a day,  with  a twelve- 
minute  release  twice  daily,  and  have  comfortable  rest  rooms. 
Lunch  is  served  by  the  company  in  the  building  at  the  cost  of 
serving,  and  the  moral  surroundings  are  good. 

The  five-cent  and  ten-cent  stores  employ  about  50  girls  at 
an  average  wage  of  $4.50  a week.  They  work  nine  hours  a day, 
have  a rest  room  and  the  moral  conditions  are  good. 

There  are  a number  of  girls  working  in  candy  factories 
whose  average  wage  is  about  $5.00  a week.  They  work  ten 
hours  a day,  and  no  special  care  is  given  to  their  comfort. 

There  are  three  mattress  factories  in  Little  Rock,  employing 
from  15  to  20  women,  whose  wages  range  from  $7.00  to  $10.00 
a week.  The  sanitary  conditions  are  good,  toilet  and  dressing 
rooms  being  provided. 

The  average  for  domestic  work  throughout  the  city  is  about 
$3.50  per  week  and  board. 

The  working  conditions  of  girls  and  women  in  the  four 
steam  laundries  operating  in  the  city  are  below  the  average. 
There  are  about  150  white  girls  and  women  employed  in  the 
laundries  and  they  are  paid  from  $4.00  to  $8.00  per  week,  work- 
ing ten  hours  a day.  In  some  of  the  laundries  white  women  and 
girls  and  negro  women  work  together,  using  the  same  dressing 
room,  toilet  and  drinking  cups.  The  sanitary  conditions  are  not 
good;  the  heat  is  intense.  We  are  reliably  informed  that  there 
are  laundries  in  other  cities  that  look  after  the  comfort  of  their 
employes.  They  provide  shields  wherever  possible,  to  protect 
the  operators  of  machine  from  unnecessary  heat,  and  use  electric 
fans  in  addition. 

We  find  that  a great  many  of  the  underpaid  women  and  girls 
are  compelled  to  buy  their  clothes  upon  installment  plans.  They 
pay  large  prices  for  them,  and  are  threatened  with  garnishments 
when  they  fail  to  make  their  weekly  payments. 

Following  are  a few  specific  cases  out  of  many  which  we 
have  investigated : 

Young  girl  receives  $4.00  a week;  pays  $2.00  a week  for 
board  and  washing,  60c  for  car  fate,  90c  for  lunch  (15c  a day), 
leaving  a balance  of  50c  a week  or  $26.00  a year  for  clothing  and 
all  other  expenses. 

Young  girl  in  one  of  the  laundries  receives  75c  a day,  work- 
ing ten  hours.  She  became  overheated  in  the  month  of  July, 
and  had  not  been  able  to  resume  work  up  to  the  first  of  August. 


22 


Girl  receives  $4.00  a week;  lives  at  home  with  mother  who 
is  a widow  in  poor  health;  pays  60c  car  fare,  buys  lunch  every 
day,  and  pays  $8.00  a month  for  rent.  This  leaves  less  than 
$7.50  a month  for  food,  clothing,  fuel  and  other  expenses. 

Girl,  age  15,  receives  $4.50  per  week,  works  ten  hours  a day ; 
mother  died  recently  and  was  buried  by  the  United  Charities. 
She  has  a brother  and  a sister  younger  than  she  who  are  de- 
pendent on  her  for  support.  They  live  in  two  rooms  and  chil- 
dren stay  alone  while  she  works. 

Widow  receives  $5.50  a week,  works  ten  hours  a day,  helps 
to  support  sister  and  two  little  nephews. 

Girl,  age  16,  receives  $4.50  a week,  walks  a long  distance 
to  work,  works  ten  hours  a day,  lives  with  mother,  little  brother 
and  sister ; mother  takes  in  washing. 

Woman,  age  25,  has  worked  at  same  place  four  years,  re- 
ceives $5.00  a week,  working  ten  hours  a day ; supports  aged 
mother. 

Widow,  boarding  at  Working  Woman’s  Home ; is  paid  by 
the  piece,  average  wage  $6.00  a week;  pays  $2.00  a week  board 
for  herself  and  $2.50  a week  board  for  her  three  children,  25c 
for  washing,  60c  for  car  fare;  works  ten  hours  a day.  This 
leaves  $33.80  a year  with  which  to  provide  clothing,  medicine, 
recreation,  etc.,  for  herself  and  children. 

Married  woman,  receives  $4.00  a week,  works  ten  hours  a 
day ; has  sick  husband  and  one  little  girl. 

Married  woman,  receives  $6.00  a week,  works  ten  hours  a 
day ; husband  at  Booneville  with  tuberculosis ; pays  one  dollar 
for  room,  does  her  own  cooking  and  washing;  has  one  child. 

These  are  but  few  out  of  many  cases.  It  is  clear  that  there 
are  scores  of  women  and  children  in  our  city,  working  ten  hours 
a day,  and  some  of  them  working  on  Sunday,  who  are  not  paid 
a living  wage.  In  order  to  obtain  the  bare  necessities  of  life, 
they  are  compelled  to  have  money  or  help  of  some  kind  from 
other  sources  than  their  own  labor.  This  constant  stress  of 
poverty  is  a constant  source  of  temptation,  and  we  need  not  be 
surprised  that  occasionally  it  prove.s  too  severe.  “One  chief 
reason,”  says  the  Chicago  Report,  “why  girls  enter  the  life  of 
prostitution  is  evidently  an  economic  one.  They  cannot  live  on 
the  wages  paid  them.  And  it  should  be  remembered  that  it  is 
not  a question  of  the  necessaries  of  life  only.  In  all  normal 
natures  there  is  a craving,  both  natural  and  legitimate,  for  sortie 
kind  of  pleasure,  some  form  of  relaxation  or  excitement.  Yet, 
it  is  obviously  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  for  a girl  who  must 
clothe  herself  on  $26.00  a year,  a ribbon,  a street  car  ride,  a visit 
to  the  picture  show,  is  of  the  nature  of  a luxury.” 

We  believe  it  to  be  the  duty  of  every  employer  to  pay  his 


23 


employees  a living  wage,  regardless  of  what  any  other  employer 
pays  for  the  same  class  of  work,  and  regardless  of  the  number 
of  persons  that  may  be  seeking  employment.  The  people  of 
Little  Rock  seem  to  have  given  little  or  no  thought  to  the  wages 
and  working  conditions  of  women  and  girls  who  are  engaged  in 
industry,  and  this  indifference  is  responsible  for  the  poverty  and 
suffering  of  many,  and  the  ruin  of  some.  There  is  no  necessity 
for  such  conditions,  and  the  people  of  Little  Rock  who  wish  to 
aid  in  lessening  the  social  evil  should  give  their  moral  support 
and  sympathy  to  these  working  women  and  girls. 

In  view  of  the  casual  relation  between  economic  status  and 
the  social  evil,  and  of  the  depressing  conditions  amid  which  many 
of  our  women  and  girls  are  working,  the  commission  recom- 
mends : 

First,  th^t  the  Board  of  Health  be  requested  to  make  special 
investigation  of  the  sanitary  conditions  in  the  laundries  and  other 
industries  employing  women  and  girls ; and 

Second,  that  a disinterested  and  representative  board  be 
appointed  to  consider  the  whole  question  of  the  ages  and  work- 
ing hours  of  women  and  girls  in  our  city,  and,  if  expedient,  to 
formulate  and  recommend  such  law  as  will  secure  greater  social 
and  economic  justice. 


PART  IV. 

REPORT  OF  THE  LITTLE  ROCK  COLORED  VICE 
COMMISSION. 

Hon.  Chas  B.  Taylor,  Mayor, 

City. 

Dkar  Sir  : — Some  months  ago,  you  appointed  five  colored 
men  to  act  as  the  branch  of  your  regular  City  Vice 
Commission,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  carefully  investigate 
and  thoroughly  study  the  social  conditions  of  the  negro 
race  in  our  beloved  city  of  Little  Rock.  We  have  been  a long 
time  summing  up  our  findings.  On  the  fifth  of  May,  1912,  we 
submitted  a partial  report  to  you,  but  learned  since  then  that 
the  report  never  came  for  once  under  your  observation.  We  are 
combining  it  with  subsequent  study  and  findings,  and  are  herein 
handing  you  the  same  as  our  complete  analysis  of  the  situation. 

On  several  occasions  it  has  been  necessary  to  seek  informa- 
tion from  the  police  department,  and  we  are  pleased  to  inform 
you  that  this  information  has  been  cheerfully  given  by  that  de- 
partment whenever  we  asked  it. 


24 


Houses  oe  Prostitution. 

In  our  investigation  we  have  been  unable  to  find  any  licensed 
or  police  regulated  houses  of  prostitution.  This  does  not  argue, 
however,  that  our  people  are  free  from  vice.  There  are  many 
boarding  and  rooming  houses  to  which  suspicion  poiuts  strongly 
as  places  where  a great  deal  of  vice  is  practiced.  Certainly  there 
are  many  noble,  honorable  and  clean  exceptions  which  we  beg 
you  to  keep  always  in  mind  in  undertaking  to  follow  them  up 
more  closely  than  we  have,  but  with  the  information  we  have  at 
hand,  the  rooming  house  under  suspicion  seems  to  be  the  rule 
rather  than  the  exception.  In  respect  to  these,  therefore,  we 
would  recommend  that  all  public  rooming  houses  be  regulated 
by  license  or  permits,  so  that  their  conduct  and  business  may 
always  be  open  to  police  inspection. 

Pool  Rooms. 

The  game  of  .pool  is  regarded  by  very  many  people  as  legiti- 
mate sport,  but  to  us  it  is  a serious  question  as  to  the  amount  of 
crime  it  breeds.  In  addition  to  the  regular  gambling  tendency 
which  the  playing  of  pool  gives,  the  pool  room  itself  is  the 
very  center  of  idleness,  vice,  and  sometimes  crime.  In  the  pool 
room  a great  many  men  and  boys  come  together  during  the 
day,  and  especially  in  the  evenings.  A few  at  a time  pay  for  an 
opportunity  to  play  the  game,  while  large  crowds  lounge  about, 
tell  smooty  jokes,  and  sometimes*  quarrel.  These  places  are 
used  also  as  half-way  houses  to  the  saloons,  where  beer  is  carried 
by  minors  and  distributed  freely.  The  pool  rooms  are  visited 
occasionally  by  women,  who  are  instrumental  in  carrying  beer 
to  the  pool  rooms.  In  this  regard  we  would  recommend  that  all 
boys  under  eighteen  (18)  years  of  age  be  prohibited  by  law  and 
by  police  force  from  frequenting  these  places.  It  should  also  be 
a matter  of  police  attention  for  women  and  children  to  be  seen 
carrying  beer  and  other  alcoholic  beverages  from  saloons  to 
pool  rooms,  or  to  any  other  places  for  any  purpose  whatever. 

Social,  Engagements. 

Women,  children  and  youth  of  all  races  need  much  recrea- 
tion at  proper  times,  and  especially  do  children  need  the  proper 
direction  of  their  energies.  We  believe  that,  more  and  more, 
our  churches  and  schools  must  be  made  social  centers.  Out 
door  sports  and  athletics  must  be  provided  for  all  young  people. 
As  it  is  now  nothing  of  the  sort  is  provided  for  the  children  of 
our  race  in  this  city,  except  as  the  churches  and  Sunday  Schools 
give  a picnic  once  a year,  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city, 
where  the  great  majority  of  our  children  cannot  go.  We  have 
a number  of  public  schools,  one  public  high  school  and  two  col- 


25 


leges  in  Little  Rock,  for  negro  children  and  youth.  There  are 
also  thousands  of  negro  homes  in  which  there  are  no  front  yards 
and  very  scarce  back  yards.  All  the  children  and  youth  of  these 
schools,  colleges  and  homes  are  deprived  of  anything  like  regular 
and  frequent  outing  within  the  city  limits,  or  anything  like 
playgrounds  and  parks  whither  they  might  resort  untram- 
meled, in  safety  and  with  some  considerable  degree  of  elevation. 
The  social  lid  is  held  down  too  tightly  upon  them,  and  they  are 
failing  to  give  to  the  city  the  sort  of  men  and  women  that  a 
progressive,  clean  and  modejn  city  deserves.  In  respect  to  this 
phase  of  the  question  we  would  recommend  for  your  considera- 
tion the  opening  of  a park  strictly  for  colored  people;  that  the 
city  furnish  the  grounds  and  the  colored  people  the  enclosure  and 
the  equipment,  or  vice  versa;  that  this  park  be  and  forever  re- 
main under  the  management  of  the  city  through  a colored  com- 
mission or  a special  policeman  appointed  by  the  city  for  that 
purpose. 

The;  Economical  Situation. 

As  a matter  of  course,  there  are  far  more  women,  girls  and 
children  of  the  colored  race  who  have  to  leave  their  homes  early 
in  the  morning  and  get  back  late  at  night,  than  women,  girls  and 
children  of  any  other  race.  We  believe  it  is  an  honor  for  them 
to  be  regularly  employed.  But  the  city  and  community  owe  them 
such  protection  as  will  make  them  love  their  jobs  and  make 
them  morally  independent  of  all  individuals  and  conditions  tend- 
ing to  lead  them  astray.  They  go  into  thousands  of  homes, 
restaurants,  hotels,  laundries,  etc.,  owned  and  cared  for  by  the 
white  race.  The  more  strongly  safeguarded  these  servants  are, 
the  higher  will  be  their  tone  of  character  and  the  less  vitiated 
will  be  the  atmosphere  where  these  people  work.  Their  protec- 
tion, therefore,  and  their  moral  culture  ought  to  be  of  mutual 
concern.  Legal  sentinels  ought  to  be  stationed  at,  or  ordered 
to  frequent  strategic  and  exposed  points- about  the  city  to  protect 
the  poor  and  weak.  In  numerous  cases  we  have  found  that  ad- 
vantage had  been  taken  of  colored  girls  between  the  hours  of 
six  and  nine  o’clock  in  the  evening,  on  their  way  from  work  to 
their  homes,  and  early  in  the  morning  on  their  way  from  home 
to  their  work.  It  sometimes  happens  that  collectors  from  time 
payment  houses  literally  ransack  negro  neighborhoods,  taking 

26 


advantage  in  various  ways  of  the  helpless  condition  of  negro 
women.  The  city  is  not  responsible  for  this  economic  condition ; 
but  when  such  cases  come  up,  it  should  be  mindful  to  give  these 
poor  creatures,  in  every  way,  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  The  very 
fact  that  the  city’s  eye  is  turned  toward  the  situation  with  the 
view  of  extending  protection  wherever  it  was  consistent  with 
law  and  moral  right,  would  be  a guarantee  that  the  situation 
would  gradually  and  greatly  improve.  We  would  also  add  that 
wherever  the  quantity  and  quality  of  service  will  justify,  these 
servants  should  have  a slight  raise  in  their  wages  from  time  to 
time,  so  as  to  make  them  economically  independent  of  all  temp- 
tations offered  them  as  an  easier  way  to  make  a living. 

Industrial  Engagements. 

It  is  often  and  properly  said  that  “an  idle  mind  is  the  devil’s 
workshop.”  There  is  no  less  truth  in  it  when  we  come  to  the 
civic  and  social  condition  of  a city  than  when  we  consider  the 
civic  and  social  condition  of  a family.  There  are  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  negro  children  in  Little  Rock  from  the  ages  of 
ten  to  twenty  who  are  neither  in  school  nor  have  they  any 
regular  industrial  engagement.  The  city  does  not  own  them 
and  therefore  cannot  compel  them  by  police  force  either  to  go 
to  school  or  go  to  work.  But  something  can  be  done.  There 
are.  hundreds  of  acres  of  vacant  lots  in  the  city  belonging  to 
different  people.  These  vacant  grounds  could  be  fenced  in  for  a 
small  sum,  comparatively  speaking,  and  cultivated  at  a large 
profit.  It  seems  to  us  that  the  owners  would  be  glad  to  give 
the  use  of  these  grounds  for  a term  of  years  just  for  the  fenc- 
ing and  other  improvements.  Or,  if  not  that,  they  ought  to  be 
willing  to  make  their  charges  -merely  nominal  and  let  out  their 
vacant  property  on  this  condition  and  for  this  purpose  for  not 
less  than  two  years  and  as  much  as  five  years  at  a time.  Some 
sort  of  civic  organization  could  be  launched,  and  boys  could  be 
induced  to  join  them ; the  director  of  the  movement  under  city 
authorities  and  community  co-operation  could  direct  the  boys  in 
various  ways,  to  use  these  grounds,  viz.,  by  poultry  clubs,  garden 
clubs,  corn  clubs,  and  trucking  clubs.  Very  great  many  boys 
could  be  induced  to  make  their  own  living  in  this  way  and  at 
the  same  time  saved  from  mischief  and  from  temptation. 

While  we  thank  you  for  the  honor  you  have  conferred  upon 


27 


us,  and  believe  that  this  report  terminates  our  service,  we  never- 
theless feel  that  some  such  organization  or  individual  service 
should  be  perpetuated  as  a connecting  link  between  the  city  and 
its  colored  constituency.  It  must  be  remembered  that  for  the 
good  of  the  city  and  the  colored  people  too,  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  a general  charity  organization,  colored  policeman,  re- 
form school,  station  matrons,  or  house  of  refuge.  The  city  of 
Little  Rock  could  not  do  a better  thing  than  to  look  for  the  pro- 
vision of  such  things,  one  or  more,  and  thus  draw  the  colored 
people  closer  to  the  heart  of  the  city  government  and  into  closer 
co-operation  in  making  our  city  all  it  should  be.. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

little  rock  colored  vice  commission, 

Jas.  A.  Booker,  Chairman . 

G.  W.  Hayman. 

E.  H.  Carry. 

Addison  Morris. 

R.  C.  Childress. 

After  the  report  of  the  commission  was  rendered,  Mayor 
Chas.  E.  Taylor  gave  it  due  publicity  in  the  newspapers  and  as- 
sured the  commission  that  he  would  use  every  effort  to  carry  out 
the  recommendations  thus  made  to  him.  On  June  6,  1913,  he 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  chief  of  police,  which,  to- 
gether with  the  reply  of  the  chief,  illustrates  the  attitude  of  the 
administration  toward  the  evils  complained  of : 

Mr.  Fred  M.  Cogswell, 

Chief  of  Police. 

Dear  Sir — Kindly  have  one  of  the  sergeants  officially  notify 
the  proprietress  of  every  house  in  the  restricted  district  that, 
following  the  recommendations  of  the  Vice  Commission,  her 
place  must  be  closed  not  later  than  August  25.  Also  have  your 
sergeants  notify  the  owner  of  the  property,  or  the  owner’s  agent, 
that  after  August  25  they  will  be  proceeded  against  under  the 
law  should  a resort  be  conducted  on  the  premises. 

Please  have  this  done  in  the  right  shape,  having  the  city 
attorney  draw  up  proper  forms  and  notices.  When  you  serve 


28 


these  papers,  which  should  be  done  tomorrow,  please  advise  this 
office. 

Confirming  verbal  instructions  given  last  week,  do  not  ac- 
cept any  -more  forfeits  from  these  women.  The  time,  August 
25,  is  given  in  order  that  they  may  close  up  and  vacate  their 
premises  upon  reasonable  notice. 

However,  please  understand  that  police  regulations  in  the  re- 
stricted districts  are  not  to  be  waived  in  any  way. 

Yours  truly, 

Cha<s.  E.  Taylor, 

Mayor. 


Hon.  Chas.  E.  Taylor, 

Mayor. 

Dear  Sir — Replying  to  your  letter  of  June  6,  confirming 
your  verbal  instructions  given  some  days  ago,  placing  into  effect 
the  recommendations  of  the  Vice  Commission  on  August  25, 
1913,  I beg  to  advise  that  today  I have  had  papers  served  on  the 
proprietress  of  every  resort  in  the  restricted  district,  and  also  on 
the  owner,  or  the  agent  of  the  owner,  of  every  building  occupied 
as  a resort. 

You  instructions  will  be  carried  out  by  every  man  in  my  de- 
partment to  the  very  best  of  his  ability.  The  warfare  on  assigna- 
tion houses  will  be  continued  and  every  place  of  this  kind  will 
be  suppressed  by  me,  when  I have  on  hand  proper  evidence  to 
justify  me  in  proceeding  against  these  houses. 

Yours  truly, 

F.  M.  Cogswell, 

Chief  of  Police. 


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